Questions about water.....

TerriKate0308
TerriKate0308 Posts: 15 Member
edited November 12 in Health and Weight Loss
Who counts coffee or tea as their water intake? I drink a lot of decaf unsweetened tea throughout the day, but not sure whether this is counted as water or is it just considered "dirty" water.

Replies

  • 1rayhamilton
    1rayhamilton Posts: 69
    I'd consider that 'water'. It's unsweetened...
  • TerriKate0308
    TerriKate0308 Posts: 15 Member
    I've been counting it as water. I just hate drinking water, so I feel I have to flavor it to get it down.
  • penrbrown
    penrbrown Posts: 2,685 Member
    Tea is a diuretic. I would not count it as 'water intake' because of that.

    But that's just me. :)
  • Guitarjon
    Guitarjon Posts: 204 Member
    I only tend to count water in my water bit. Mainly because it is worth 0 calories. If I have tea its usually around 15 calories so tends to go in one of my sections.

    Breakfast, AM snack, Dinner, PM Snack, Tea, Snack. Usually fits in there somewhere.
  • _Cheyanne_
    _Cheyanne_ Posts: 97 Member
    ive heard that the "make sure you drink 8 cups of water" thing is a myth.. and just that you need an adequate amout of fluid, which could be anything. i just got this off the Mayo Clinic site:

    "Everyone has heard the advice, "Drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day." That's about 1.9 liters, which isn't that different from the Institute of Medicine recommendations. Although the "8 by 8" rule isn't supported by hard evidence, it remains popular because it's easy to remember. Just keep in mind that the rule should be reframed as: "Drink at least eight 8-ounce glasses of fluid a day," because all fluids count toward the daily total."

    So, to answer your question, yes you should count your tea to your "water." :)
  • TerriKate0308
    TerriKate0308 Posts: 15 Member
    Thank you cwhite for this comment. I know it's not the perfect water, but I can barely stand to drink water at all. If I drink it, it has to be ice cold and if it gets just barely warm, I'm gagging. Not sure why this happens. I just chalk it up as something I don't like.
  • TerriKate0308
    TerriKate0308 Posts: 15 Member
    Hmmmm..... that is a thought. Thank you for that piece of advice. Makes me think about drinking so much of it.
  • mSquared77
    mSquared77 Posts: 47 Member
    I count water as water!
  • mandacloye
    mandacloye Posts: 26 Member
    TerriKate,

    I like H2O but decided to add some sugar free fruit punch powder to switch things up. My dilemna is this: anything like that with artificial sweetener (aspertame mostly) causes me to be almost incontinent of urine. So although it tastes good, I seldom use it. But like I mentioned, I LIKE H2O and stick with that for almost all intake.

    Amanda
  • mhotch
    mhotch Posts: 901 Member
    Unsweetened tea is fine as a fluid intake count.
  • ddelboccio
    ddelboccio Posts: 1
    Any liquid that is NOT caffeinated counts towards your daily water intake (even milk!). Water is water. Just be careful of calories which can still add up in beverages quickly.
  • MarincicS
    MarincicS Posts: 265 Member
    I would be concerned about caffeine. I understand (although i am not an expert) that it acts as a diuretic. But maybe that's a good thing? I don't really know.

    But i never count anything as water except water.
  • carajo
    carajo Posts: 532 Member
    I drink soda, tea, ect...but I ALWAYS have a bottle of water with me as well....i dont even know how much i drink in a day, i dont monitor it, as long as i always have a liter with me!!
  • DaveC29
    DaveC29 Posts: 232 Member
    I don't care for water unless it is ice cold. I do count Iced Tea as water and also I love the MIO flavors added to water. It really helped me to get away from drinking soda!! (0 calories too!)
  • gp79
    gp79 Posts: 1,799 Member
    You should count your tea / coffee as water intake. For one, it doesn't contain enough caffeine to act as a diuretic (not until you've consumed 600 - 700mg) and if you were to eat a chocolate covered coffee bean and drink a glass of water, do you NOT count the water because it was consumed with a coffee bean?
  • zafferFL
    zafferFL Posts: 402
    Any liquid that is NOT caffeinated counts towards your daily water intake (even milk!). Water is water. Just be careful of calories which can still add up in beverages quickly.

    even caffeinated counts, not nearly enough caffeine in tea or coffee to cause that much water loss
  • A_Fit_Mom
    A_Fit_Mom Posts: 602 Member
    TerriKate,

    I like H2O but decided to add some sugar free fruit punch powder to switch things up. My dilemna is this: anything like that with artificial sweetener (aspertame mostly) causes me to be almost incontinent of urine. So although it tastes good, I seldom use it. But like I mentioned, I LIKE H2O and stick with that for almost all intake.

    Amanda

    Crystal light has a fitness line that does not have aspartame in it. :)
  • mabug01
    mabug01 Posts: 1,273 Member
    I definitely count it. You get water from food, too. I'm practical and don't believe in militaristic rule-following.
  • danielnoble
    danielnoble Posts: 27
    I drink 1-2 cups of waterand usually only at the gym, or after a run. the rest is other liquids. Coffee is my staple liquid. water with my whey, diet soft drinks
  • paula_on_a_mission
    paula_on_a_mission Posts: 6
    MIO MIO MIO Because of it I am able to get in 130 + oz daily now --Walmart brand has some good flavors as well but be careful some have an acidic taste--the orange tangerine tastes just like Mickey Ds orange drink--yummy
    Also the Crystal Lite (and walmart brand too) have a green tea one that has EGCG which could provide a small metabolism boost
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
    Tea is a diuretic. I would not count it as 'water intake' because of that.

    But that's just me. :)
    WATER IS A DIURETIC. You might want to learn what diuretics actually are before you start throwing the word around.

    For hydration, everything counts. Water, milk, juice, tea, soda, coffee, beer, wine, it all hydrates you effectively. The only exception I can think of are hard liquors, due to their high ratio of alcohol to water.
  • penrbrown
    penrbrown Posts: 2,685 Member
    Tea is a diuretic. I would not count it as 'water intake' because of that.

    But that's just me. :)
    WATER IS A DIURETIC. You might want to learn what diuretics actually are before you start throwing the word around.

    For hydration, everything counts. Water, milk, juice, tea, soda, coffee, beer, wine, it all hydrates you effectively. The only exception I can think of are hard liquors, due to their high ratio of alcohol to water.

    There was research that suggested for every cup of tea you drink you SHOULD compensate with 5 glasses of water. But new research suggests differently.

    I am aware of what diuretic means but it is worse with tea then with water. :) Or at least that's what I was always taught but as I said new research suggests new things.

    No need to get snarky.
  • chelsey202
    chelsey202 Posts: 24 Member
    ive heard that the "make sure you drink 8 cups of water" thing is a myth.. and just that you need an adequate amout of fluid, which could be anything. i just got this off the Mayo Clinic site:

    "Everyone has heard the advice, "Drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day." That's about 1.9 liters, which isn't that different from the Institute of Medicine recommendations. Although the "8 by 8" rule isn't supported by hard evidence, it remains popular because it's easy to remember. Just keep in mind that the rule should be reframed as: "Drink at least eight 8-ounce glasses of fluid a day," because all fluids count toward the daily total."

    So, to answer your question, yes you should count your tea to your "water." :)

    It's not a myth; you're supposed to have about 8 cups of water a day, but this includes tea, coffee, and even the water fruits are made up of and the like. count the tea :)
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
    Tea is a diuretic. I would not count it as 'water intake' because of that.

    But that's just me. :)
    WATER IS A DIURETIC. You might want to learn what diuretics actually are before you start throwing the word around.

    For hydration, everything counts. Water, milk, juice, tea, soda, coffee, beer, wine, it all hydrates you effectively. The only exception I can think of are hard liquors, due to their high ratio of alcohol to water.

    There was research that suggested for every cup of tea you drink you SHOULD compensate with 5 glasses of water. But new research suggests differently.

    I am aware of what diuretic means but it is worse with tea then with water. :) Or at least that's what I was always taught but as I said new research suggests new things.

    No need to get snarky.

    You would need to separate the caffeine from the water from 20 glasses of green tea, and then consume all of the caffeine without drinking any water, in order for it to have any type of diuretic effect. There is nowhere near enough caffeine in any beverage to come anywhere near dehydrating a person.

    Besides, diuretics have nothing to do with dehydration.
  • HMonsterX
    HMonsterX Posts: 3,000 Member
    Tea is a diuretic. I would not count it as 'water intake' because of that.

    But that's just me. :)
    WATER IS A DIURETIC. You might want to learn what diuretics actually are before you start throwing the word around.

    For hydration, everything counts. Water, milk, juice, tea, soda, coffee, beer, wine, it all hydrates you effectively. The only exception I can think of are hard liquors, due to their high ratio of alcohol to water.

    There was research that suggested for every cup of tea you drink you SHOULD compensate with 5 glasses of water. But new research suggests differently.

    I am aware of what diuretic means but it is worse with tea then with water. :) Or at least that's what I was always taught but as I said new research suggests new things.

    No need to get snarky.


    Here we go again!

    You need the equivalent of 8 cups of water a day on average, from any source. These sources can be pure water/tea/coffee/juice/soda/milk/fruit/veg etc. It does NOT have to be pure neat water!

    http://www.snopes.com/medical/myths/8glasses.asp

    http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/jul/13/myth-eight-glasses-water-day

    http://junkfoodscience.blogspot.com/2008/07/wellness-water-8x8-myth.html

    http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2010/12/08/the-myth-behind-drinking-8-glasses-of-water-a-day/


    As for tea/coffee being a diuretic, so many people just spout that word as a reason, without actually understanding what "diuretic" means.

    di·u·ret·ic (d-rtk)
    adj.
    Tending to increase the discharge of urine.
    n.
    A substance or drug that tends to increase the discharge of urine.

    Neat water is also a diuretic. The diuretic effect of caffeine is far, far outweighed by the actual water in the tea/coffee. Also, regular consumers of caffeinated beverages will build up a tolerance to said effect, eventually reaching the point where caffeinated drinks provide practically the same amount of hydration as a cup of neat water will.


    http://www.divinecaroline.com/22178/46361-coffee-makes-dehydrated-say-what

    http://worldofcaffeine.com/2011/06/14/caffeine-does-not-dehydrate/

    http://advance.uconn.edu/2002/020722/02072207.htm

    http://nomoredirtylooks.com/2011/04/surprise-caffeinated-tea-does-not-dehydrate-you/

    http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/04/health/nutrition/04real.html

    http://www.sharecare.com/question/does-caffeine-dehydrate-not

    http://www.artofdrink.com/2009/12/caffeine-in-coffee-does-not-increase-dehydration-during-hangovers.php

    http://www.caring4cancer.com/go/cancer/nutrition/questions/do-caffeinated-beverages-cause-dehydration.htm

    http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=5552790&page=1#.TrQWc0O5_oo
  • penrbrown
    penrbrown Posts: 2,685 Member
    Tea is a diuretic. I would not count it as 'water intake' because of that.

    But that's just me. :)
    WATER IS A DIURETIC. You might want to learn what diuretics actually are before you start throwing the word around.

    For hydration, everything counts. Water, milk, juice, tea, soda, coffee, beer, wine, it all hydrates you effectively. The only exception I can think of are hard liquors, due to their high ratio of alcohol to water.

    There was research that suggested for every cup of tea you drink you SHOULD compensate with 5 glasses of water. But new research suggests differently.

    I am aware of what diuretic means but it is worse with tea then with water. :) Or at least that's what I was always taught but as I said new research suggests new things.

    No need to get snarky.

    You would need to separate the caffeine from the water from 20 glasses of green tea, and then consume all of the caffeine without drinking any water, in order for it to have any type of diuretic effect. There is nowhere near enough caffeine in any beverage to come anywhere near dehydrating a person.

    Besides, diuretics have nothing to do with dehydration.

    That's not what I was taught but I am learning new things every day. I wonder what new research will say in a couple of years? Seems like the story is constantly changing.

    Also, this is a place to learn and people can't learn if they don't feel comfortable voicing their misconceptions. Just sayin'.
  • penrbrown
    penrbrown Posts: 2,685 Member
    Here we go again!

    Thanks for the links. :) I never cared enough to do THAT much research but it's good somebody has all the info handy.

    Interesting to watch how the story changes over the years. Somebody should do a collage of these articles over the past 50 years to show how ideas have changed. :) And then perhaps we'd have a better idea why you are constantly correcting misinformation.
  • josephine_x
    josephine_x Posts: 90 Member
    I wouldn't be worried about the caffeine, more the nasty chemical processing it goes through to remove the caffeine in decaf
  • TerriKate0308
    TerriKate0308 Posts: 15 Member
    Thanks Amanda. I also use the sweetner in my drinks just to get the fluid in. I need to be careful how much aspartame I take in because I know its not good for me, but for now....it's helping me get the water down. Every once in a while I will drink plain water....super cold!

    Terri.
  • Boshnivay
    Boshnivay Posts: 74 Member
    it's not caffeinated and its unsweetened, so it's going to act like water, but have maybe the benefits of what kind of tea it is. :)
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